Adjective "underpinnings" definition and examples

(Underpinnings may not be an adjective, but it can be used as an adjective, click here to find out.)

Pronunciation

/ˈʌndəpɪnɪŋ/

Definitions and examples

noun

A solid foundation laid below ground level to support or strengthen a building.

'Because of the way the original plotland homes were built, with shallow, often uneven, foundations, the only way to save the building is through extensive underpinning.'

'The river would create a problem of slow erosion and danger to the underpinning of other buildings in the site area.'

A set of ideas, motives, or devices which justify or form the basis for something.

'And for clarity's sake, I should say that the idea has formalist underpinnings, but debating the pros and cons of this is for another time.'

'In general, fully automatic programming remains beyond our reach, but there is one area where the idea has solid theoretical underpinnings as well as a record of practical success: in the building of compilers.'

'The structural underpinnings of such skill areas as note taking, summary, and the writing-up of science experiments, are explained to the pupils and practised in authentic contexts.'

'There are no other common factual underpinnings.'

'For the casino, the underpinning of all their games is math.'

'The theoretical underpinnings of the study are developed first.'

'The author's easy and clear style makes the book a pleasure to read, although the desire to minimize the mathematical content means that the theoretical and dynamical underpinnings of many topics are omitted.'

'Checks and balances - the constitutional underpinning of the democratic idea that no one individual can be trusted with unlimited power - are there to keep such delusions under control.'

'The model performs well across this data set, which gives strong support for the model's central claims, its generality, and its theoretical underpinnings.'

More definitions

1. a system of supports beneath a wall or the like.

2. Often, underpinnings. a foundation or basis: to uncover the emotional underpinnings of an illness.